The Order: 1886 E3 Preview: Weapon of War (PS4)

June 11, 2014
Written by Anthony Severino

Disclaimer: Portions of this preview are re-published from a previous Pre-E3 Judges Tour preview.

It wasn’t too long ago that The Order: 1886 was shown behind closed doors to members of the press, but unfortunately, the stunning PS4 exclusive was a gameplay demonstration only. The presentation and gameplay appeared fluid, the setting and story interesting — all signs pointed to Sony having another hit on their hands. At this year’s E3, Sony and Ready at Dawn were finally ready to let media go hands on with the PS4’s heaviest hitter.

Equipped with the Thermite Rifle — a high-powered weapon that launches pelletized aluminum iron oxide into an area that releases a cloud of metal dust that is then ignited by a flare into a smattering of melting metal — we decimated the onslaught of rebel forces, pushing them back into retreat. They really had no choice, as not only can the Thermite Rifle cause physical harm, it’s incredibly destructive to the environment; the perfect way to attack an enemy seeking refuge behind a stone-wall cover.

As the team at Ready at Dawn’s most proud feature, the intense combat seamlessly transitions into an active cutscene where you must drag a bullet-grazed comrade to safety. Once inside the stronghold, we were given a short glimpse at how players will interact with and inspect the environment to fill in pieces of the story, or to learn how to proceed. One such example found a massive metal structure blocking our path, however, it wasn’t so long, as sacrificing a full cartridge of Thermite melted it into a puddle of molten metal.

After that, it was back to the streets for more gunfire.

The demo was short — too short, focusing on mostly introducing us to the Thermite Rifle. But piecing together the previous demonstration with this hands-on gameplay shows that The Order: 1886 is, without a doubt, a promising addition to the next generation of video games and Sony’s advanced weapon in the battle for console supremacy. As stunning as the visual fidelity and presentation may be, what interests us the most is the setting, the characters, and everything else still left untold — such as Blackwater’s origins, and what consequences the Knights of The Order suffer from exploiting it.

The demo’s brevity certainly left our curiosity piqued, and left us salivating, desperate for another taste — which may be a while, as unfortunately, The Order: 1886’sFebruary 20th, 2015 release date is quite a ways away. But if what happened with DriveClub is any indication, letting The Order: 1886 have extra time to bake will mean that when it is served, it’s likely to be nothing short of perfection.